Michael Angelo and The Statue Of David

They asked Michelangelo how he created David.
He said:

“I looked at the marble and chipped away everything that wasn’t David.”

He didn’t add.
He subtracted.

And yet, when we think about self-improvement, what’s the default?

Add more.
More habits.
More tools.
More books, courses, apps.
More things to become the version of us we want to be.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t need to become someone.
You need to unbecome who you’re not.

We’re born as potential.
Somewhere along the way, we pick up noise.

Expectations.
Labels.
Bad patterns.
Fears that weren’t ours to begin with.

Then we look in the mirror, squint, and wonder why we don’t recognize ourselves.

It’s because you’re not missing anything —
you’re buried under everything you’re not.

The Work Is in the Chipping

Personal growth is less like building a skyscraper,
and more like sculpting marble.

You don’t stack bricks.

You chip.

• You chip away distractions.

• You chip away fake identities.

• You chip away routines that feel safe but keep you stagnant.

• You chip away the need to be liked by everyone.

• You chip away the addiction to proving something.

• You chip away the toxic cognitions.

• You chip away the permission that you’re seeking.

What’s left is not a “new you.”

It’s the real you.

Wes Watson said :

“It’s not what I do. It’s what I don’t do that makes me successful.”

Dan Koe says:

“The modern world is overbuilt. Your job is to simplify.”

Same idea.

You are both the sculptor and the slab.

Your vision of the future version of yourself —
it’s not a fantasy.
It’s a memory.

It’s the version of you that get’s revealed.

You’ve seen glimpses of it before —
in the flow of deep work,
in moments of bold truth,
in the tight deadlines,

in quiet flashes of clarity when you’re alone and honest.

That’s the real you.
Already inside.

Because greatness isn’t added.
It’s revealed.

You are both the sculptor and the stone.
The version of you you’re chasing?
It’s not ahead of you.
It’s inside you — buried under everyone you thought you needed to be.

So the real question becomes:

What are you willing to let go of, to meet who you really are?